Rebecca Abraham
CEO/FounderPlesio HealthRebecca Abraham, RN, BSN, is the CEO and Founder of Plesio Health. Plesio Health provides the clinical infrastructure for symptom management using cannabis and plant-based medicines. Rebecca is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on the clinical application of medical cannabis and the emerging specialty of cannabis nursing, which was recently adopted by the American Nurses Association. She brings 20 years of experience spanning emergency medicine, critical care, reimbursement structures, healthcare policy, organizing, and strategy. Her work on medical cannabis implementation has been published in peer‑reviewed journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of General Internal Medicine. She is also an international speaker, presenting on cannabis science, nursing innovation, and technology at leading conferences worldwide. Rebecca is also a doctoral student at Northern Illinois University, deferred. Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology and Communication from Saint Xavier University, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college. She is board‑certified in critical care (CCRN) by the American Association of Critical‑Care Nursing, received a continuing education scholarship from National Nurses United to attend Rutgers University’s Women’s Global Health Leadership Program, and was honored with the Illinois Nurses Association’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Nursing Award.
Pleasure Was Always Political: Cannabis, Sex, and the Systems That Control Both
For more than a thousand years, systems of power have policed pleasure — what people feel, what they consume, and how they connect. Cannabis never e
For more than a thousand years, systems of power have policed pleasure — what people feel, what they consume, and how they connect. Cannabis never existed in isolation. It was grouped with sexual liberation, psychedelics, and music movements, then
For more than a thousand years, systems of power have policed pleasure — what people feel, what they consume, and how they connect. Cannabis never existed in isolation. It was grouped with sexual liberation, psychedelics, and music movements, then controlled under shared narratives of risk, morality, and public health. Those narratives were shaped by politics and social control, not science. And they still echo through modern clinical guidance,
For more than a thousand years, systems of power have policed pleasure — what people feel, what they consume, and how they connect. Cannabis never existed in isolation. It was grouped with sexual liberation, psychedelics, and music movements, then controlled under shared narratives of risk, morality, and public health. Those narratives were shaped by politics and social control, not science. And they still echo through modern clinical guidance, regulation, and consumer messaging today.
This session traces the linked history of stigma across cannabis, sexuality, and other consciousness-altering substances, then connects those patterns to the systems our industry operates inside right now. Commercialization and even federal legalization won't rebuild trust, structure, or clinical credibility on their own. Real progress demands a data-driven lens.
Built for cannabis executives, operators, and investors, this talk confronts an uncomfortable tension: pleasure is now both commodified and controlled. We'll examine what happens when those forces collide, and what it would take to build systems that genuinely support safe, effective use. Expect a candid look at cannabis policy reform, cannabis social justice, and the cannabis market trends rewriting demand.
